Next England manager to be English, not the one after though!
August 17th 2010 11:21
Cast your mind back to October 7th 2000, the last ever game at the old Wembley. Kevin Keegan was in charge of the England team, which had just come off the back of an extremely disappointing Euro 2000 campaign, in which England were dumped out in the groups, by ROMANIA! Alan Shearer had retired, and Germany were in our qualifying group for the next world cup. But there was a chance for redemption. On the 7th october, England faced Germany, in the farewell match to the Old Wembley stadium, which was to be knocked down and rebuilt. The stadium that 34 years earlier had seen Hurst put Germany to the sword with a hat-trick and win us the world cup.
This day, however, didn't go to plan. A Dietmar Hamann free-kick gave the Germans a 1-0 win, and Wembley closed amidst the sound of boos still ringing around its old structure. Kevin Keegan, being Kevin Keegan, resigned, and there was one clear message from FA chief executive Adam Crozier, England needed the best manager available, regardless of his nationality. So, for the first time in English football history, a foreign manager took charge of the national team.
Swedish manager Sven Goran Eriksson took charge of what was dubbed 'the golden generation. His squad boasted such stars as David Beckham, Michael Owen, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Steven Gerrard. Looking back now, Sven did Ok in his six year tenure, if not amazing. Quarter final exits at 2002 and 2006 world cups to Brazil and Portugal, and also eliminated from Euro 2004 by Portugal on penalties. There was of course as well that 5-1 win in Germany. However, the talk of the golden generation had added so much pressure to Sven's role, and revelations about his private life didn't help, and in January 2006 it was announced he would leave after the World Cup. But who to replace him?
Well going back on the mandate of six years earlier, the FA insisted the next manager had to be english. Given that the only two candidates fitting this bill were mid-table Bolton's manager Sam Allardyce, or mid-table Middlesborough's manager Steve Mcclaren, the fact that Mcclaren was already Sven's assistant meant he got the nod.
To be honest, the less said about Steve Mcclaren's 18 month reign the better, as England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, finishing behind Russia and Croatia in our group. This meant another change of manager, but who? The FA had a very clear message; we want the best, regardless of nationality, and in came Italian world class manager Fabio Capello.
After a fantastic qualifying campaign, we all know just how wrong it went for Capello's England team at the world cup, in what was the golden generation's last chance to shine. Though the italian is still manager, his contract runs out in 2012 and there is no chance he will be staying beyond it, even seeing out the next two years isn't certain. There is one clear message from the FA regarding who will be his successor, it must be an Englishman.
So when Capello leaves, it is likely either Harry Redknapp, Roy Hodgson or maybe Stuart Pearce will take over, and hopefully turn England's fortunes around. If the new manager fails though, I wonder what the message from the FA will be. It seems to me that this pattern will keep repeating itself, and as soon as the nation is disappointed again, whenever this may be, there will be a clear message from the FA, we need the best regardless of nationality. The next manager will be english, but I wouldn't bet on the one after him following suit.
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